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Caledonia: two month's rain in one day - December 30, 2003 -
The island of La Tontouta
received 161mm of rain yesterday, more than
twice the average rainfall for the entire month of December.

9°C colder than normal in Canada - The temperature at
Coppermine fell to -31.1C yesterday.
The average December low is
-22.8C.

54 people die of Rajasthan cold - December 28, 2003:
Temperatures in Delhi, India reached
only 14 Celsius (57F)
yesterday. This may seem warm, but remember that Delhi is only
28 degrees
north of the equator (about the same as the Canary
Islands), putting it just outside the tropics.
Temperatures further
north in Rajasthan state actually dropped to zero.http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/28122003news.shtml

Bolivia: One month's rain+ in one day - December 28, 2003:
103mm of rain fell in Tarija,
a little over the December average
rainfall for Tarija of 97mm.
Canadian temperatures 10°C colder than normal - December 28, 2003
- Temperatures
in Dawson in the Yukon Territory fell to -38.7C, 10C
below the average December low of -28.6C.

"Rare" white Christmas for parts of the Mediterranean!
- December 24, 2003: Snow has
fallen over a wide swatch of southern
and southeast Europe to North Africa, with exeptionl snow
and cold
reported in southern Italy (14 inches in Campobasso, 7 inches in
Potenza and Prizzi),
Tunisia (8 inches in Setif, 7 inches in
Constantine), northeastern Algeria, and the Balkan peninsula.
In
Bulgaria, Veliko Turnovo picked up 13 inches of snow, Lovech picked up
11 inches, and
3.2 inches of rain fell in Sliven. Bucharest
endured near-blizzard conditions, where snow lay
12" deep and was
still falling.
http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/int_news.asp?partner=accuweather

Bulgaria: More than four month's snow in 1 day!- December 24,
2003: The town of Chirpan,
southeast of Sofia in Bulgaria, received
more than four times the average snowfall for the whole of
December. http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Scandanavia 45°F below normal - December 23, 2003: Northern
sections of Norway, Sweden
and Finland have been brutally cold this
week. Sodankyla, Finland hovered at minus 30 to 35 degrees
Tuesday
whereas average temperatures at this time range from a high of 10
above to a low of
minus-2. In northern Sweden, Tuesday's highs were
35-45 degrees below normal. Kvikkjokk r
eached a high of minus 30 as
opposed to the average high for the date of plus 14.
http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/int_news.asp?partner=accuweather

Temperatures in Turkey 14°C below normal - December 21,
2003: The temperature in
Erzurum rose to only minus 9.4C
Saturday, 8 degrees below normal, and then dove to
-23.3C, more than
14 degrees below the average December low of -9C.
http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Global
warming on Mars – without SUVs!December 10, 2003. According
to a report in
Space.com, NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has spotted
seasonal changes, such as the advance
and retreat of polar ice, on
Mars.

Mars
may be “coming out of an ice age,” says William Feldman of the Los
Alamos National
Laboratory. "In some low-latitude areas, the ice has already
dissipated. In others, that process
is slower and hasn't reached an
equilibrium yet.”

Heaviest Japan snow in 38 years - December 20, 2003: Snow
brought parts of Japan to a
standstill Saturday, even delaying the
ever punctual bullet trains. With temperatures around eight
to ten
degrees below normal., Nagoya City in central Japan saw its heaviest
snowfall in 38 years. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/20122003news.shtml

Sweden more than 20°C below normal . December 18, 2003. At
minus 33.3 degrees, temperatures
in Karesuando, Sweden nose-dived for
the second night in a row. This compares to a normal average
low of
minus 13C.

Record-breaking snowstorms in Vermont (three in one year).
December 16, 2003. This
weekend's storm buried Vermont under one of the state's largest
snowfalls on record. The 18.8
inches measured at Burlington
International Airport made the storm the eighth largest, putting it
ahead of the ninth-ranked 18.3 inches received just two weeks ago and
7 and the 10th-ranked
17.8 inches from Jan. 4 and 5, 2003.http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/bfpnews/news/1000h.htm

66 month's rain in 9 hours! - December 16, 2003: Jagdalpur, India, in
the south of Madhya
Pradesh province, received 33mm of rain yesterday.
This compares to the December average
rainfall of 0.5mm. http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Busiest tropical storm season since 1887 - December 10, 2003:
more drama predicted for
2004. "The Atlantic-Caribbean hurricane
season officially ended on November 30, but since then
a further two
tropical storms have developed - the first time this has happened
since 1887.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/10122003news.shtml

Record storm buries parts
of Northeast beneath up to four feet of snow.
Dec 7, 2003.
“There has not been a storm of this magnitude in New
York this early in the season since record-
keeping began in 1869,”
said Todd Miner, a meteorologist at Pennsylvania State University.

Nine month's rain in one day in Djibouti- December 7, 2003:
Djibouti, the capital city of Djibouti,
which lies on the east coast
of Africa at the bottom end of the Red Seareceived 110mm of rain y
esterday, nine times its normal 13mm of rain during the entire month
of December.

Kotzebue, Alaska received 45.6 inches of snow in November, more
than it usually
gets all winter (Sep to Apr). This shattered the
old November record of 24.3 inches set in
1993. (Thanks
to Cory VanPelt of the National Weather Service for this info.)

Scientist says Yellowstone bulge could mean explosion. December
1, 2003.Lisa Morgan,
the geologist leading a US Geological
Survey team studying a bulge beneath Yellowstone Lake
says, "it
could be the precursor to a hydrothermal explosion."
http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/?id=3362

Australia: 1 month's rain in under 6 hours - December 3, 2003:
France: More than two month's rain in two days.
Morocco - Snow and over 10°C below normal. The midday temperature
in Midelt reached
only 1.2C, more than 10C colder than the December
average maximum, and it was snowing.
http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

More than 1 month's rain in 30 hours in France - December 2,
2003: 174mm of rain has fallen in the Rhone valley in southern France
over the past day or so, easily beating the average for the month of
around 159mm. http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Record early snow in the US and Canada. November 29,
2003:Mid-level ski slopes at Kicking Horse in British Colombia
currently have twice as much snow cover as is normal at this time of
the year.
Early snow in French mountains too - Half a metre of snow fell in
the French resort of Flaine yesterday. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/uk/news/29112003news.shtml

Minnesota temperatures 8°C below normal - Temperatures in
International Falls fell to minus 15.6C, almost 8C below average for
November, which stands at minus 7.8 degrees.

Mt Baker, WA ski area is 74% above its 10-year snow base average
for this time of year. (Nov 25, 2003) Considering that Mt. Baker had
the most snow on record in one season anywhere in the world just three
years ago (about 100 feet, or 30 meters), being 74% above its 10-year
average is a major accomplishment. The base at Pan Dome in 80 inches
(203 cm).

Scandanavian temperatures 20°C below
normal. Siberian temperatures 13°C below normal - November
26, 2003: Temperatures in Kvikkjokk-Arrenjarka rose to only
-23.4C, 20C colder than the average November high. In Ojmjakon,
Siberia, temperatures fell to -54.0C last night, 13C lower than
the average November low of -41.1C. http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Bitter cold in Montana - November 23, 2003: The high
temperature in Glasgow, Montana reached only minus 15 Celsius, while
their low plummeted to minus 22.8 degrees. Average high and low temps
in November are 4 and minus 7 degrees.
http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

One month's rainfall in 18 hours in France: Nov 16, 2003.
Perpignan received 70 mm of rain in 18 hours. The month average of 50
mm.South African temperatures nearing record lows. Langebaanweg,
South Africa recorded a low of zero this morning. The average minimum
in November is 12.0 degrees.Three month's rainfall in 3 days in Canada. Hamilton, Ontario
has received 191 mm of rain in the past three days. The average for
the entire month of November is 65 mm.Canadian temperatures 17.5°C below normal - Temperatures
plummeted to minus 37.5 degrees in Dawson, Yukon Territory, more than
17 degrees below the November average of minus 20C.
http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Siberia 40°F below normal - November 11, 2003: At Dudinka, in
the Russian Arctic, temperatures plunged to 48 degrees below
zero. The high was only 39 degrees below zero., about 40 degrees
below average for the date, and 15 to 20 degrees below that of the
coldest part of winter. Other cold spots included Igarka at 47 below,
and Turukhansk at 43 below. http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/int_news.asp?partner=accuweather

One month's rainfall in 30 hours in Korea. One month's rainfall in
24 hours in Argentina - November 11, 2003:
The city of Wonsan, Korea received 86mm of rain, almost one and half
times the November average of 60mm. Meanwhile, the city of La Plata,
Argentina, received 85mm of rain, more than twice the November average
of 83.8mm.http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

This Winter: A Wild Ride” - 12-Nov-2003 – “This
winter's weather will feature dramatic shifts between hot and cold
from month to month, and even week to week,” say forecasters, who
expect that the weather will “fluctuate wildly.”
"We're going to see outstanding cold spells throughout the U.S.,
balanced by unseasonable warmth," said AccuWeather's Joe Bastardi.
"Our forecast emphasizes volatility, including cold snaps in the
Northeast, and colder-than-normal weather in the Midwest and
Plains," says Matt Rogers of EarthSat.” http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/?id=3316

Canadian temps still 20°F - below normal; one years rain in one
day in Saudi Arabia - November 10, 2003: Thunder Bay, Sunday's
morning low of 1 degree was 20 degrees below normal. In Saudi Arabia,
Yanbu'al Bahr received 3.4 inches of rain, almost double the mean
yearly rainfall. Al Makkah received more than two inches of rain,
comparable to the yearly mean.http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/int_news.asp?partner=accuweather

Canadian winter records broken - November 7, 2003: Estevan, in
southern Saskatchewan, reached 15 degrees below zero, besting the old
record of -11. Farther north, Key Lake plunged to 35 degrees below
zero, about 45 degrees below normal for the date. Winnipeg,
Manitoba fell to minus-5, or two degrees shy of a record low. http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/int_news.asp?partner=accuweather

Record low temperatures in Germany - 4 Nov 2003: Temperatures
in the Bavarian town of Oberstdorf plunged to minus 12.7C on the night
of Oct 25 -- a level not seen since records began in 1936. Germany
also saw unseasonal snow flurries during the week, with parts of
Bavaria were covered in a blanket 20-centimetres (eight-inches) deep.

California temps 12°C below average - November 2, 2003: In Red
Bluff, where the average October maximum is 25.6C, temperatures
dropped to just 13.3C. The high temperature in San Francisco was
13.9C, some 7 degrees below the October average. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/uk/news/02112003news.shtml

Coldest November day in 46 years in Sydney - November 2, 2003:
"In NSW, Barraba, Coonabarabran Town and Mount Seaview (in the
ranges west of Port Macquarie) all set new November minimum
temperature records -- in the case of Coonabarabran the coldest in 46
years."http://www.australianweathernews.com/news/2003/031102.STM

Canada temps near -20°C below zero! - October 31, 2003:
Edmonton, Alberta set a new record low of -5C, beating the previous
low of -3. Sundre, north of Calgary, dove to -19, Hendrickson reached
-15, Willow Creek slipped to -12, and Edson bottomed at -11.
Saskatchewan also chilled: Eastend Cypress registered a low of minus
8C.http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/int_news.asp?partner=accuweather

Temperatures far below normal in Europe - October 24, 2003: The
Netherlands, Belgium, northwestern Germany and northern France reached
lows 15 to 25 degrees below average yesterday. Denmark also saw hard
freezes, including 20 degrees (22 degrees below mean) at Copenhagen.
Southern Scandinavia through southern Finland were were also colder
than average by 20 and even 30 degrees. Farther east, 3 inches of snow
fell in Vienna, Austria, while Bratislava, Slovakia, and Budapest,
Hungary had their first measurable snowfall of about an inch.
Kremsmunster, in northern Austria, received 6 inches of snow.http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/int_news.asp?partner=accuweather

One month's rain in one day in Tunisia - October 24, 2003: At
Orleans, France, the temperature rose to just 3C, far below the
average of 16C, while Kelibia in Tunisia recorded 42mm of rain -
almost a month's worth - in one day.http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/uk/news/24102003news.shtml

One month's rainfall falls in 6 hours - October 24, 2003:
Receiving 67 mm of rain in six hours, Dalby, Queensland, some 100
miles west of the state capital Brisbane easily beat the average for
the whole month of 58 mm, and it was still raining. http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Record lows in Sweden - 24 Oct 03 This entire week has
been very cold in southern Sweden, with many record lows. Last night
was the coldest Oct 24 since the start of measuring around 1860.
Gothenburg, for example, set a new record low of -8,5 degrees C. (Thanks to Lars-Olof Johansson for this info.)

Temperatures 27 degrees below normal cripple Mongolia - October
14, 2003: Near blizzard conditions raged across central Mongolia
Sundays as temperatures plummeted to 27 degrees below average.
Meanwhile, Australians endured the 17th consecutive day with below
normal average temperatures. In Adelaide, the average temperature for
the first 13 days of the month was 7 degrees below the mean.http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/int_news.asp?partner=accuweather

Coldest Australia October in 15 years - October 13, 2003:
Minimum temperatures 8 to 11 below normal over much of the NT away
from the coast this morning, breaking records and causing extensive
frost damage across eastern and central Austalia since the start of
the month. The low of 4.6 at Alice Springs was 10.2 below the October
norm, while Ali Curung, halfway between Alice Springs and Tennant
Creek, recorded its second lowest October minimum in 15 years of
record with a reading of 9.0." http://www.australianweathernews.com/news/2003/031013.STM

Coldest Oct. morning in 50 years - October 11, 2003: With a
reading of 0.8, Gulgong set a new record October low the second
morning in a row, while the minimum temperature on Swan Island fell to
a record 2.8. Echuca had its coldest October morning in almost 50
years with a reading of 0.2.http://www.australianweathernews.com/news/2003/031011.STM

Coldest in Australia since 1910 - October 10, 2003: Brewarrina,
Gulgong, Trangie and Wollongong all set new October lows, with
temperatures 6 to 10 below average. Meanwhile, "the average
minimum temperature in Adelaide for the first 10 days of October 2003
was 7.8C, making it the coldest start to October since 1910."http://www.australianweathernews.com/news/2003/031010.STM

Too much snow forces ski lift closures - October
4, 2003: South Island had so much snow last week that some
ski runs had to be closed, even though the season is drawing to a
close. The unseasonably cold spring weather with freezing rain
and snow threatens newborn spring lambs.http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/uk/news/04102003news.shtml

Unexpectedly cold weather in many parts of the world. Oct 4,
2003. The eastern US had a chilly spring and early summer. Japan
had an unseasonably cool summer, Moscow was swept by snow in June, and
Boscombe Down in Wiltshire had its coldest September night since 1931,
and Scotland had unusually early snow. (This came from the Times
Online.)

Australia October rain worst in 119 years - October
2, 2003: Wallangarra PO QLD, Australia, with 110 years of records, and Glen
Innes PO NSW with 119 years, both experienced their heaviest October
one-day rainfall with 109.6 and 85.8mm respectively.http://www.australianweathernews.com/news/2003/031002.STM

Unusual cold in Norway - September 29,
2003: In Norway's normally mild town of Bardufoss, the mercury fell to
minus 7 Celsius on Monday, 14 degrees below the September average low
of plus 7 Celsius. http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Italy rainfall seven times normal - September 19, 2003: At
Cozzo Spadaro lighthouse in the extreme southeast of Sicily, 188mm of
rain fell in the last three days, nearly 7 times the September average
of 27mm.
http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Heavy September snow hits Canada - Sep
16, 2003: Residents of southern Alberta woke up to a blanket of snow
this morning. Calgary received about 3 cm, while about 6 cm fell in
Red Deer. There's still more snow to come, with
"significant" snowfall expected tonight, with 20 to 30 cm
expected over the Mountain Parks.

Red Deer, which normally reaches 17C on this date, is expected to
reach only 2C. Highs of 3C, 3C and 5C forecast respectively for
Calgary, Grande Prairie and Edmonton. They are normally in the 15C to
18C range on this date. http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/news/story1.htm

Half a year's rainfall in one day - September
16, 2003: The island of Pantelleria, between Sicilia and

Russia and Mongolia drenched / Antarctica freezing - September 5, 2003: In Russia, 81mm of rain fell in Vladivostock
Thursday, about three quarters of the average rainfall of 114mm for
the entire month.

At the Amundsen-Scott base in Antarctica, temperatures fell
to -67.7°C Thursday. This is 5 degrees colder than the base's average
minimum of -62.8C.

Worldwide rains "double monthly average - September
4, 2003: 82mm of rain fell on parts of the Mediterranean island of Ibiza Wednesday,
in 12 hours. This is more than twice the average of 34mm for the
entire month of September.

127mm of rain fell on China's eastern province of Shandong Thursday, in 12
hours. This is almost double the normal rainfall of
64.5mm for the entire month of September.

In Spain, 30mm of rain fell in Zaragoza in 6 hours Thursday. This
beats the average total for the whole of September, and brings the
total since Tuesday to 51mm, nearly double the average rainfall for
the entire month. http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Icy Weather a Sign of Climate Change? Sep 2, 2003. An article in Business Day (Johannesburg), by Sharda
Naidoo, pretty well
sums up the misinformation streaming through much of the media today.

"THE icy weather that gripped South Africa last week caused by
a cold front sweeping from Western Cape up the country," said
Sharda, "could be a direct effect of global warming and an
early sign of climate change hitting South Africa."

Icy weather is "a direct effect of global
warming"? C'mon Sharda, you can't have it both
ways.
Ahhh, but notice how Sharda switches gears in the same sentence, and calls it "climate change."
Beware of the words "climate change."
Those are the words that global warming alarmists often use so that
they can have it both
ways.

Arctic ice "thickest in 35 years" - August 23,
2003: From Svalbard to Franz Joseph Land, there was a massive
series of ice flows up to five meters thick, and measured 800 miles
north/south and up to 14 miles east/west. The captain of the vessel
has rarely seen the ice this thick in his 35-years of polar voyages. http://www.newportthisweek.com/news/2003/0821/Front_Page/002.html

Record rains in Mexico - August 29, 2003:
Hurricane Ignacio dumped 50 cm (20 inches)of rain on one farm town
near the west coast of the Baja peninsula. For comparison, 50
centimeters would typically fall in London over a period of about
eight months.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/uk/news/29082003news.shtml

More than a month's rain in six hours. The Russian town of Zizgin,
which lies just south of the Arctic Circle
and west of the Urals, received 64 mm in six hours yesterday. This is
11mm more than normally falls during the entier month of August.http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Edmonton drenched in half-month rainfall -August 27, 2003:
Alberta's capital was drenched by half a month's rainfall, as 34mm
fell in just12 hours yesterday. The average rainfall for the entire
month of August in this Canadian city is 69 mm.http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

One year's rain in Mexico in one day - August 27, 2003:
Along its path across the Mexican state of Baja California Sur,
hurricane Ignacio dumped 7.7 inches of rain at Ciudad Constitucion,
roughly two-fold the average yearly rainfall. Loreto saw 5.5 inches of
rain, or about one-year's worth of rain. http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/int_news.asp?partner=accuweather

Anotherlong, cold winter, says Farmers Almanac.
August 26, 2003. Beginning in February, says the latest edition of the
Almanac, storms will hammer much of the eastern half of the
country with no letup until early spring. Parts of New England will
get snow into late April.

It looks like it will be reminiscent of last year, with a
never-ending series of storms, said Sandi Duncan, the almanac's
managing editor. The West also faces a cold, snowy winter, while mild
weather is predicted in the Southeast.

The almanac, which claims an 80 percent success rate, has been
predicting the weather for 187 years. It uses a secret method for its
forecasts linked to sunspots, the position of the planets, and tidal
action of the moon.Last year, the almanac predicted colder-than-normal
temperatures and snow from Maine to Colorado.

Record cold and rainfall around the world - August 25, 2003:
As typhoon Krovanh moved across the Gulf of
Tongking Monday, it dumped 246mm of rain on Danxian (on the island of
Hainan) in 36 hours. Average rainfall for the entire month of August is
about 230mm.http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Major rains in in South Africa: August 25, 2003. 18mm of rain
fell on
Calvinia, South Africa yesterday. Average rainfall for the entire month of August is only 23mm.
Temperatures reached a mere 6.7°C, more than 11 degrees below the
average August maximum of 18.4 Celsius.http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Record rainfall in Asia - August 25, 2003: Ahmadabad, India,
reported almost 14 inches of rain in less than 24 hours. Seoul, South
Korea, reported a 12-hour rainfall of 6.18 inches, with a total of
10.06 inches both Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, two-day rainfall in
Cholwon totaled 12.45 inches. Chunchon measured 6.14 inches. In North
Korea, Singye, had 5.75 inches. http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/int_news.asp?partner=accuweather

Maine gets taste of winter - August 25, 2003. Overnight temperatures slid
to1.1°C in Caribou, Northern Maine, more than 9 degrees colder than
the average August night-time minimum of 10.6 Celsius.http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Record precipitation in Antarctica - August 22, 2003: Two days of heavy snow
dropped
the equivalent of 69mm of rain on parts of the South Orkney Islands, beating the
average precipitation for the entire month of August of 48mm."http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Record Antarctica cold strengthens ozone layer to record size
- August 22, 2003: (Not record warmth, but record cold.) Cooling in
the lower stratosphere has arrived in Antarctica about six weeks early
this year.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/030822/325/e6o9u.html

Close to one month's rainfall in Sweden in one day. August 21,
2003: The Swedish city of Lulea, which is around 75 miles from
the border with Finland, reported 57mm of rain yesterda. Average rainfall for
the entire month of August is 65mm...and it was still raining.http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Widespread lows across South Africa -
August 21, 2003: This week's wintry blast in southern Africa
culminated early Thursday in widespread frost and freeze. South Africa
set many lows in the teens. Frankfort and Bloemfontein dipped to 13
degrees. Bethlehem dipped to 14 degrees, and lows of 15 degrees were
set at Aliwal and Waterford. In Johannesburg, the Jan Smuts airport
hit 19 degrees following Wednesday's chilly high of 46. The daily mean
extremes in temperature here are 47 and 66 degrees for low and high,
respectively. In Botswana, Tshabong dipped to 19 degrees.
http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/int_news.asp?partner=accuweather

Two thirds of August rainfall in half a day. August 21, 2003:
Rainstorms dropped 31mm of rain on Dauphin, Manitoba yesterday in 12 hours. That is nearly two thirds of the August average rainfall of
49mm.
http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Cold temperatures continue over much of South Africa. August
21, 2003: The temperature in Aliwal on Thursday morning fell to
minus 9.5°C, nearly 11 degrees below the average August minimum for
the town. http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Several inches of snowfall in South Africa. August 19, 2003:
"Snow whitened southwestern South Africa early Tuesday. Uplands
of the Northern Karoo in the southwest had rain followed by snow in
the wake of a strong cold front. At Sutherland, snowfall was good for
several inches. Snow also fell at Calvinia and Okiep."http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/int_news.asp?partner=accuweather

Temperatures plummet in Paraguay and Brazil. August 18, 2003:
At Encarnacion, eastern Paraguay, temperatures dove to 0.6 degrees, some 12 degrees below the August average minimum of 13°C. In Curitiba, Brazil,
temperatures fell to minus 0.5. Their average is 9 Celsius.http://www.metoffice.com/weather/index.html#NEWS1

Cold water affects Lobster catch in New England. Aug 12,
2003. The lobster catch in New England is way down this year, said CNN
News today. The decline is attributed to water that never warmed after
a cold winter.

New record summer lows set in Newfoundland and Labrador-
August 7, 2003: Dropping to a chilly 1.9°C, Deer Lake erased its old
record low of 3.9 set back in 1948. Gander dropped down to 4.9°C,
erasing its old record low of 5.6 set back in 1950.
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/news/story4.htm

Rare northerly winds chill Athens - August 7, 2003: "In
an odd twist, Athens, notorious for almost unbearable summer heat, was
being cooled by fierce northerly gusts known locally as the "meltemia."
Some Athenians have taken to wearing long sleeves to ward off the
evening chill."http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/08/07/heatwave.ap/index.html

More Queensland temperature records broken - Aug 2, 2003: Croydon
Queensland, close to the Gulf of Carpentaria, recorded a low of 5.2,
its lowest August minimum in 39 years. At the other end of the
continent Bombala's -8.0 broke a 35 year August record. http://www.australianweathernews.com/news/2003/030802.STM

Queensland (Australia) temperatures lowest in 42 years.
August 1, 2003: Bowen,
Barcaldine and Baralaba in Queensland and Leigh Creek in SA all set
new August minimum temperature records. Barcaldine's was the most
notable. The town sits on the Tropic of Capricorn, and sub-zero
temperatures are very rare. This morning's reading of -0.3 broke the
previous August record of -0.1 in 42 years of observations."http://www.australianweathernews.com/news/2003/030801.STM

Overnight temperatures close to record territory for
the third day in a row in SE Queensland (Australia) and NE NSW. July 29, 2003.
Glen Innes Airport recorded -10, while Gatton's -3.1 was 9.4 below
average. Other low figures are given. http://www.australianweathernews.com/news/2003/030729.STM

More record lows in Australia. 28 Jul 03. Bombala township
on the NSW Southern Tablelands set a new July record low of -9.6.
Cooma township recorded -10.0. On the Northern Tablelands, Glen Innes
Airport recorded -10.9, Armidale Uni -10.5, and Tenterfield -9.0, 10.2
below average.http://www.australianweathernews.com/news/2003/030728.STM

Wettest July in Australia in 115 years. July 23, 2003: At least 10 locations broke 24-hour rainfall records for July. Lake
Eildon's 101.2mm was only 0.1mm shy of their all-time record for
any month in 114 years. Euroa (61.0mm) and Seymour (59.6mm) both had
their wettest July days in 115 years. Other significant records were
toppled at Narrandera NSW, and Kyabram, Tatura and Mangalore VIC.http://www.australianweathernews.com/news/2003/030723.STM

Sub-Antarctic birds and turtles "in Perth." July
21, 2003. Dozens of sub-Antarctic seabirds and turtle hatchlings had
been recovered on the coast between Perth and Bunbury, blown hundreds
or thousands of kilometers from their natural habitat by the major
storm system.http://www.australianweathernews.com/news/2003/030721.STM

A month's rainfall in one night. July 18, 2003. Newry,
Northern Ireland saw flash flooding today, as a month's rainfall fell
in one night.

Weather goes haywire. July 17, 2003. Freak weather conditions
stretching from France to the the United States to Switzerland have
been dominating the headlines this week. Some forecasters attribute
the large storms, heat waves (and record cold in some areas) to global
warming. I attribute it to the ice-age cycle. According to H.H. Lamb,
one of the world's greatest climatologists, our entry into the last
Little Ice Age was marked by extremes. I think today's extremes are an
indicator that we are headed back into an ice age.

Heavy snow in northern China. Jul 16, 2003.
Many areas of northern China received 20-25 cm of snow today. Some
areas near the Tajik border reported as much as 50-100 cm of snow.

Baseball sized hail in the Canadian prairies. July 15,
2003. In southern Saskatchewan, high winds downed trees and
power lines in Fort Qu'Appelle, about
70 km northeast of Regina. Later in the day, the same severe
thunderstorms moved into northwestern Ontario, dumping golf ball-sized
hail in the Fort Frances area. Cobourg recorded nearly 38 mm of
rain and Trenton 33 mm, which was a new July 15th rainfall record for
the city. Its old record was 32.6 mm from 1985. In Manitoba,
baseball-sized hail pounded the town of Altona.

Heavy snow in the mountainous regions of Europe. July 4,
2003. Up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) of snow has fallen in many
regions of Europe during the past three days, including France,
Switzerland, and Austria. Central Mongolia also saw snow, as did the
Himalayas, Siberia, and Greenland.

Coldest June in Moscow since 1941. July 1, 2003. It was the
coldest June, the Moscow Times reported today, since the Nazis
invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. Temperatures for the month
averaged 13 degrees Celsius, compared to the normal average of 17.5
degrees. Moscow was also hit with a brief snowfall at the beginning of
June. The last June snowfall occurred some 30 years ago.

Up to 25 cm of snow falls on Mt. Elbus. Jun 28, 2003. With
snow still falling in the Caucacus Mountains. Is it any wonder that
glaciers are growing? Central Armenia also received traces of snow.

Golf-ball sized hail in the Calgary area. June 15.

Last winter's intense cold damaged half of Ontario's grape crop.
This was announced on June 13.

Precipitation far above normal in Northern Ontario. As of
June 13, precipitation was 60 percent of the monthly average. Water
levels on the French River at Dry Pine Bay stood 60 cm above average..

Rare Greenland Sharks in St. Lawrence. Baie-Comeau, Que.
(CP) - Using an underwater camera, an amateur diver has recorded rare
images of four Greenland sharks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The 10-foot-long sharks, which normally live in glacial Arctic waters,
had wandered more than 4,000 km to the mouth of the St. Lawrence
River. The sharks are rarely seen by humans, given their frigid,
isolated habitat.

The Greenland shark, known as the sleeper shark for its sluggish
nature, is one of the few large fish found in polar waters year round.

Usually not harmful to humans, the species can reach lengths of 19
feet and can weigh up to 2,200 lbs.Edmonton Sun, June 7, 2003 (Thanks to Charlie Worten for
this info.)

Record rainfall in Canada's Maritimes.
Jun
2, 2003. Greenwood, Nova Scotia received more than 24 mm of rain, with
21.4 mm yesterday, breaking the city's previous 24-hour rainfall
record for June 1 of 18.5 millimetres set in 1954.

Sydney reported 22.2 mm of rain yesterday, breaking the city's
previous rainfall record of 19.2 mm from 1985. Halifax received 40.1
mm on Sunday. The city's previous rainfall record for June 1 was 20.8
mm, set in 1985.

In Saint John, New Brunswick, more than 35 mm has fallen since
yesterday, and nearly 30 mm in Fredericton.

More than 25 centimeters of snow fell of parts of the Pyrenees
today (May 30), some of it down to 2,000 meters.

Cold winter devastating to grape growers in Ontario's Niagara
region. May 27, 2003. The damage is the worst many industry
experts have ever seen, says Ray Duc, Chair of the Grape Growers of
Ontario. The loss could be in the millions. One winemaker reports that
more than half of their Merlot crop was destroyed by the cold
winter.

With ice still covering three of the
Great Lakes, snow on the ground in many areas of Canada, and a low
sitting over Hudson Bay, it may be several weeks before people in
eastern Canada begin to believe it's spring. May 19, 2003. St. John's
has officially received 502cm (8.4 feet) of snow this winter. Deer
Lake recorded 427cm, Stephenville 379cm, Cartwright 372cm, Gander
371cm, Goose Bay 357cm, Baidespirit 279cm, and Wabush Lake 267cm.
Labrador and northern Newfoundland had some 10 to 20 feet of snow this
winter, and it could be several weeks before it begins to feel warmer.

Long, cold, icy winter blamed for oyster deaths.
May 7, 2003. Fisherman on the western side of Prince Edward Island
have reported hauling in a high percentage of dead and weak oysters.
Deaths ranging from 50 to 80 percent have been reported by the
Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and the Environment.

Oysters hibernate during the winter, say officials,
but this winter has lingered so long that the oysters apparently
ran out of energy. The possibility that the deaths are due to a
parasite has been ruled out.

Alberta hammered by yet another spring "winter
storm." May 5, 2003. It may be May, but in Alberta it looks
and feels like January. The storm began on Sunday, and by yesterday,
the Brooks, Suffield and Jenner areas had received 20 to 35 cm of
snow. At 35 centimeters, Edmonton's two-day accumulation of snow was
10 times the amount of snow that normally falls during the entire
month of May.

The Iddesleigh area has received an astounding 55 cm
(22 inches). Medicine Hat have received 22 cm, Lethbridge 11 cm,
Red Deer 12 cm and Edmonton 7 cm. An additional 20 to 40 cm of snow is
still expected in central and northern Alberta over the next couple of
days.

Meantime, temperatures are also feeling quite
wintry. Normally in the mid-teens at this time of year, today's
temperatures will remain in the low single digits. Calgary and
Edmonton expect highs of only 1C, and Red Deer and Grande Prairie
expect 2C and 3C respectively.

Record snows in Calgary. Apr 27, 2003. Rain and snow mercilessly pounded the city and surrounding
areas yesterday,
halting airport operations and causing mass power outages, sending the
city into a tailspin.

With more than 50 cm (20 inches) of snow falling throughout the Calgary
area, and up to 80 cm (32 inches) in some areas, the storm
set a record for the day.

Indeed, not just for the day, the storm was one of the worst that
Calgary has seen in the last 100 years. Calgary normally sees more
than 50 cm of snow per year, but it takes the entire 3-month winter
season to accomplish that.

The wet, heavy snow proved too much for the roof of
the Co-op store at 540 16 Ave. N.E. shortly after the store
closed. Fortunately, none of the staff members
who were inside when
half the roof gave way were injured. (From the Calgary Sun)
http://www.canoe.ca/CalgaryNews/cs.cs-04-27-0009.html(Thanks to Shirlee Mays for this info.)

Another record snowfall for
Newfoundland.
Apr.14, 2003. The winter that just
won't end dropped another 30 + centimeters of snow on
parts Newfoundland yesterday, leaving residents to dig out their
driveways and cars one more time.

When the snow finally stopped falling today,
accumulations had reached 37 centimeters (12 inches) in Gander, while 10
cm had fallen in Deer Lake and 7 cm in St. John's.

For Gander, yesterday's snowfall set a new record for
April 13. The old snowfall record for that date was 25.1 cm
set back in 1965.

Super-cold water
causes massive cod kill. 10 Apr 2003. CBC News
reported today that water temperatures in the Newfoundland bay where a
massive cod kill occurred are the coldest in decades.

Water temperatures in Smith Sound, Trinity Bay, are as cold as -1.7
degrees C, say researchers on the research vessel Teleost.
"That's about as cold as sea water in our area can get,"
said fisheries ecologist George Lilly.

Newfoundland and most other areas of Canada experienced one of
their coldest winters in years. Smith Sound on the island's east coast
had one of the few healthy populations of cod left.

The kill led to the loss of an estimated 200,000 kilograms of fish.
The ones recovered had ice crystals around their organs. The future
impact is yet to be felt because the fish were preparing to spawn.

Unseasonably cold
weather grips Europe. PARIS (AFP) Apr 08, 2003.
Two people died in Hungary and Poland Tuesday as unseasonably cold
weather gripped much of Europe.
One person died and another was seriously injured in a car crash on an
icy road 50 miles west of the Hungarian capital
Budapest.

A 50 year-old homeless man was found dead in the northern Polish town
of Gdynia, while the southeast of the country was carpeted in snow and
avalanche warnings were issued in the High Tatras mountains on
the border with Slovakia.

Austria declared a snow emergency in the mountain community of Smolian,
while volunteers kept a lookout at rivers and dams for fear of a
sudden meltdown that could cause flooding.

Italy also suffered a rare cold spell, with high ground in Calabria in
the south 6.6 feet deep in snow.
Temperatures were minus 24 Celsius (minus 11.2 Fahrenheit) in the
northeastern Venice area, and minus 16 C (3.2 Fahrenheit) in
Umbria in the centre.

The Ligurian coast in the west next to France shivered through its
coldest April 8 since 1885. In France, several regions clocked up record lows, including minus 7.3
C (45 Fahrenheit) in Vichy in the centre of the country.
France's office Meteo-France blamed the cold spell on "a mass of
very cold, very dry air from Scandinavia."

Germans also felt the freeze, with snow in Berlin and minus 7 C (45
Fahrenheit) in the northern port city of Hamburg - its
coldest April in 62 years. It was even colder in the Bavarian Alps at
minus 12 C (10.4 Fahrenheit).The Czech Republic also clocked up record cold weather, with an
average minus 5.4 C (22.3 Fahrenheit) on Sunday.

In Greece, snowfalls brought northern Salonika close to freezing, and
well below this near the Bulgarian border, at minus 19 C (minus
2.2 Fahrenheit).
Heavy snowfalls were also reported in Bulgaria and Romania, with icy
weather in Sofia and Bucharest.

In Croatia, Slovakia and Serbia-Montenegro, snowdrifts disrupted
traffic. Ferry links with southern Croatian islands were suspended.
In Sweden and Russia, temperatures hovered around freezing level - nothing unusual for this time of year.

By the time yesterday's snowstorm was over, it had dumped 12 inches
of snow on Regina. Winnipeg received about 8 inches. Additional ice
accretions of 15 to 30 millimeters are expected.

One of the worst snowstorms to ever hit Canada's southern
Prairies brings many cities and towns to a virtual standstill. Apr
3, 2003. Heavy snow and whiteouts have paralyzed traffic in
Saskatchewan, where 8-12 inches of snow has fallen from Moose Jaw to
Estevan. In Regina, Public Works Dept. spokesman Carlyle Murray called
it one of the worst storms he's ever seen. In Manitoba, areas
just south of Brandon are bracing for 10 inches of snow. Meanwhile, an
intense ice storm is moving through Ontario. "This has the
potential to become a serious ice storm with ice accretion of 15 to 25
millimetres," says Environment Canada.

Residents of Northern Ontario are bracing for heavy snow today as a
powerful storm front moves across eastern Lake Superior. Up to 55
centimeters of snow is expected north of a line from Marathon to
Moosonee. Other areas could see 20 to 40 centimeters.

Wall of ice threatens New Brunswick town. Mar 26, 2003. Residents
of the northern New Brunswick town of Beresford, just north of
Bathhurst, watch helplessly as a massive wall of ice jams up along
their shore. High tides and strong winds are blamed for pushing the
ice against the shore more than a month ago. If the wall of ice
continues to grow--it is already more than one story tall--a row of
houses just along the shore could be crushed.

Snowfall total rises again in St. John's. March 20, 2003. St.
John's received another 19 cm of snow, of which 12.6 cm fell on
Wednesday, setting a new snowfall record for March 19. This
latest snowfall pushes St. John's offical snowfall total for the
winter to 502 centimeters (192.64 inches). Gander has received 371 cm
of snow, Deer Lake 427 cm, Stephenville 379 cm, and Cartwright 372 cm.

Another wallop of snow for Newfoundland,
along with bitterly cold temperatures. St. John's plunged to a new
record low of -19.2, beating the old mark for March 16 set in 1880.
Gander also beat a long-standing record.

Great Lakes freeze. Mar 12, 2003. Three of North America's
Great Lakes - Lake Huron, Lake Superior and Lake Erie - have frozen
over. More than a month of temperatures below minus four Fahrenheit -
the coldest for March in more than a century - has caused an ice
blanket averaging as much as 24 inches deep on the lakes. Much of Lake
Erie is buried under 28 or more inches of ice, while more than 90
percent of Lake Superior is covered with ice. At 32,000 square miles
(82,000 sq. kilometers), Lake Superior is almost the size of Austria.
The Duluth Seaway Port Authority is hoping that icebreaking ships will
enable the shipping season to begin on time.

Thick ice halting sea traffic. Mar 12, 2003. A 40-kilometer
(24-mile) barrier of ice in the Cabot Straight has made the po9rt at
Corner Brook, Newfoundland completely inaccessible. Sompanies are
having to divert their shipments to St. John's and truck them to
Corner Brook.

Record cold in Canada. Mar 6, 2003. The mercury barely
crawled up to a high of -33.6 degrees in Timmins, Ontario. Sault St.
Marie endured similar temperatures, breaking a record that had stood
for more than 30 years. Peterborough reported a low of -27.9, breaking
the city's previous record by 5.7 degrees. In British Columbia,
MacKenzie established a new record low at -32.7. At -32.7, Blue River
surpassed its old record low by 6.7 degrees. Chetwynd, Burns Lake and
Bonilla Island were also record cold at -29, -28.9 and -36
respectively. Edmonton, Alberta recorded
a low of -39, Saskatoon Saskatchewan sat at -38, and Regina at -29. In
Manitoba, Brandon sat at -28 and Winnipeg sat at -24. Meanwhile, the
Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt was closed as heavy, wet
snow clogged the area and made it difficult even for snowplows to get
through. Some areas reported snowfall of more than 60 centimeters (24
inches) in 24 hours.

Storm buries southern and eastern Ontario. Mar 5, 2003. One
of the worst snowstorm to hit southern and eastern Ontario this season
is hammering the regions with heavy snow. Accumulations could reach 25
centimeters in some places.

Another snow-packed wallop headed for the Maritimes and
Newfoundland. Mar 5, 2003 Heavy snowfall warnings of 15 to 25
centimeters have been issued for New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince
Edward Island, and Newfoundland.

Russia abandons Ice Station Vostok. Mar 4,
2003. For the first time ever, Russia if forced to abandon its base at
Vostok. Due to heavier than usual pack ice, supply ships have been
unable to reach their usual docking berths, leaving them unable to
deliver fuel and supplies. http://news.bbc.co.uk/I/hi/sci/tech/2818025.stm

Heavy snow and freezing rain hampering rescue efforts
following last week's devastating earthquake in northwestern China.
With daytime temperatures falling to minus four degrees Celsius,
officials in Xingang province are struggling to care for the thousands
of people left homeless by the quake. Almost 10,000 homes were
leveled.

Mar 3, 2003. Blizzard conditions are forecast once again for St.
Anthony, where another 20 centimeters of snow is expected. Meanwhile,
the city of Toronto has issued its eighth "extreme cold weather
alert" of the year. Last year, only two such alerts were issued.

St. Anthony, Newfoundland is literally buried under snow. Feb
26, 2003. A monster blizzard left residents of St. Anthony trying
to find their homes. Snowdrifts through
the entire Northern Peninsula were more than 10 feet (3 meters) high.
One office worker in St. Anthony said the snow had risen
above the top of his office window, which stands about 14 feet off the
ground. Residents had to dig down through the snow to reach the
roofs of their automobiles. Residents of St. Anthony, who are
used to harsh, winter weather, said the storm was the worst they've
ever seen.

Jerusalem buried under snow. Feb 26, 2003. A
rare winter storm dumps about one foot (30 cm) of snow on Jerusalem,
closing businesses and schools and bringing life in the whitened
capital to a virtual standstill. It was one of the largest and
strongest snowstorms in Jerusalem in the last half century.

Town of Badger, Newfoundland encased in ice. Feb 26, 2003.
Floodwaters rose again in Badger, NF today after three nearby rivers
overflowed. Cold temperatures compounded the problem when the
floodwaters froze solid. Badger remains under a state of emergency,
and it could be months before some people can return. home. Government
officials have suggested the possibility of relocating the
entire town.

Labrador was hit even harder, with Cartwright receiving 28
centimeters of snow, breaking the town's previous snowfall record sent
just two years ago.kjhg

Feb 24, 2003. From Ontario to Newfoundland to Labrador, people are
digging out from a punishing weekend storm. Ontario took the brunt of
it, with more than 36 centimeters of snow fell in parts of the
province: 36 cm in Orillia, 33 cm in Ottawa, 20 cm in Windsor, and 17
cm in downtown Toronto.

Brutal cold in Western Canada. Feb 23, 2003. At least 18
new low temperature records set today. Drumheller, Alberta fell to
-38, which was 7.5 degrees colder than its previous
record low. Edmonton dropped to -36.9, some 6.5 degrees colder
than its previous record low. Red Deer dropped to -36.9, while Banff
and Jasper set new records at -35 and -33.7 respectively.

In Saskatchewan, Regina's -37.6 broke its previous record, which
had stood since 1887. At -38.4, La Ronge was even colder. Both
Assiniboia and Weyburn dropped to -33.1, while Key Lake dropped to
-48.2.

In Manitoba, Thompson dropped to -40.1. Other record lows in
the province included Swan River -35.9, Fisher Branch -33.3, Pilot
Mound -32.7 and Gretna -30.

British Columbia also recorded several record lows including
Chetwynd -31, Mackenzie -30.2, Sparwood -26.7, and Cranbrook -19.
Dawson Creek tied its existing record low for February 23, dropping to
-39.

Feb 20, 2003. Bitter cold returns to Alberta. Today's expected high
in Calgary is -13, which is 13 degrees below normal. At minus 16, Red
Deer will be 12 degrees below normal, and heavy snowfall warnings are
in place for Edmonton. Parts of Saskatchewan will also feeling the
Arctic chill. Saskatoon will be 12 degrees below normal with a high of
-20. At minus 16, Regina and Moose Jay will also be 12 degrees below
normal.

Feb 11, 2003. Today's 40-centimeter snowfall in Sydney, Nova
Scotia was enough to break the previous snowfall record for the date
set back in 1973. Feb 11, 2003. Snow plows were taken off the road today in Cape
Breton, Nova Scotia because it was too dangerous even for them to be
out. Road crews say this was one of the worst storms they've ever
seen. Nova Scotia's east coast was hardest hit by the storm, which
dumped 33 centimeters of snow on Louisbourg. Meantime, the same storm
dumped 23 centimeters of snow on St. Johns, Newfoundland in just two
hours.

Feb 11, 2003: Algerians play in the snow. More than 80 cm (32
inches) of snow now blankets Chrea, Algeria, about 60 km (36 miles)
south of Algiers.

Feb 10, 2003. Where to put all the snow? That's the question asked
by so many Newfoundlanders as yet another blizzard gears up to slam
the province. This follows a blizzard over the weekend that brought 20
centimeters of snow to St. John's, raising this winter's running total
to almost 350 centimeters, only slightly behind the record set just
two years ago when 648 centimeters buried the Newfoundland
capital. And it is cold. Near continuous blizzards virtually shut down
many towns and cities
in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.

Feb 4, 2003. Another ice storm, with the potential for even more
freezing rain than the last one, is now bearing down on New Brunswick.
Sunday's storm brought nearly 30 millimeters of freezing rain and 10
millimeters of snow, and caused more than twice as many power outages
as the notorious ice storm of 1998..

Feb 3, 2003. Ice storm hits New Brunswick. More than 45,000 homes
and businesses in southeastern New Brunswick were without power as
crews worked to clean up all the downed tree limbs and electrical
lines. It was one of the biggest storms to hit New Brunswick since the
famous ice storm of 1998, which left "only" 28,000 customers
without power.

Jan 30, 2003. Record low temperatures in Ontario. Arctic air sent
thermometers plunging to all-time lows in southern Ontario this
morning. Folks in Peterborough saw temperatures dip to -30, which was
two degrees colder than previous records for this date. Other record
lows were set in Kitchener-Waterloo (-28), Shanty Bay (-28), Delhi,
Fort Erie, Goderich and Kingston (-20s), St. Catharines (-17), Sarnia
(-19).

Jan 27, 2003. Sydney on Canada's Cape Breton Island recorded 64.2
millimeters (2.53 inches) of rain today, a new daily rainfall record
for January 27.

Jan 24, 2003. Mongolian snow disaster. At least 24,000 head of
livestock in Mongolia have died in heavy snowfall accompanied by
temperatures that dropped to minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit. It is the
fourth consecutive year that the region has experienced the ravaging
"dzud," a Mongolian winter disaster that follows severe
summer droughts. A dzud in 1999 killed some three million cattle in
Mongolia.

Jan 20, 2003. Blizzard blasting Newfoundland. The treacherous
weather is coming less than two days after St. John's was hit with record
snowfall. On Saturday, the city received 16.2 centimeters, which beat
the old daily snowfall record of 15 centimeters set back in 1946.

Jan 17, 2003. The ongoing arctic chill across much of Europe and
Asia has now claimed 1,140 lives in the usually temperate regions of
Nepal, India and Bangladesh.

Jan 14, 2003. Snowsqualls hammer southern Ontario. Up to 60
centimeters of snow fell over the weekend, and there's still more to
come before the storms taper off tomorrow.

Jan 10, 2003. Another round of heavy snow is moving into Nova
Scotia just two days after Cape Breton Island was buried under 20
centimeters. The island and all of mainland Nova Scotia is expected to
see another 15 to 20 centimeters today.

Record low temperatures in Russia.
Jan 9, 2003. Temperatures in Moscow plummet to -35C. (They normally hover
around -10C at this time of year.)

The Baltic Sea is freezing over, and may become entirely covered by ice for the
first time since 1948. Jan 9, 2003.
The Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland are almost completely
covered with ice. Some 40 ships have been trapped in the Gulf of Finland
near St. Petersburg, and ice-breakers have been sent to their rescue.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2643827.stm
Thanks to Dan Hammer for this link.

Jan 8, 2003. Tens of thousands of people left without heat
across Russia as temperatures reach their lowest levels in more than
15 years. In European Russia and east Siberia, temperatures approached
minus 50 degrees Celsius yesterday. The thermometer plunged to minus
32 C (minus 25.6F) in central Moscow and minus 37 in the suburbs. The
average winter temperature in Moscow is minus 10. uk.news.yahoo.com/030108/80/di3gd.html

Jan 8, 2003. Nearly 400 people have died of cold in Bangladesh and
northern India in the past 10 days as temperatures plummeted and cold
winds swept in from the Himalayas. The lowest temperature recorded so
far this winter was 8.6C in the northeastern tea-growing area of
Sylhet. Temperatures in northern Bangladesh at this time of year are
normally double that. www.weather.com/newscenter/topstories/030108southasiadeaths.html(Thanks to Dan Hammer in Indiana for this link.)

Jan 8, 2003. Freak hailstorm in Vanuatu. Nearly 3,000 people on
southern Tanna will need food and shelter because of a devastating
hailstorm. Hailstones the size of golf balls destroyed over 50% of
their food gardens. This was the first time that Vanuatu has seen a
hailstorm, said William Worwor of the Emergency and Disaster
office.

Jan 5, 2003. European ski resorts report record snow conditions at
elevations above 1800 meters. Tignes (2100m and Val D'Isere (1850m) in
France have had more snow so far this season than in half of last
year. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2621653.stm(Thanks to Adam Lemanski in the UK for many of
these links.)

Jan 5, 2003. Heavy snow causes transport chaos in northern France.
The National Center for Traffic Information described the snowfall as
"remarkable" for the Paris region, where heavy snows are
unusual. In the Alps up to 50 centimeters (20 inches) of new snow
increased the risk of avalanches.

Several other European have also seen severe winter weather, with
heavy rain, high winds, and bitterly cold conditions.
Rivers have burst their banks in Germany, Belgium, Portugal and the UK.
In Italy, a third of Venice was flooded on Friday, including the
famous Saint Mark's Square.
In Poland, 183 people have died of hypothermia, while in Moscow some 227 people have died because of hypothermia so far
this winter. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2628993.stm

Jan 4, 2003. In Belgium., 2002 turned out be that country's wettest
year since 1833.

Jan 4, 2003. Environment Canada has issued heavy snowfall warnings
for three provinces, where up to 25 centimeters of snow is expected by
tonight. Bracing for the storm that is now raging through the United
States Northeast, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia
are preparing for heavy snowfall and extremely treacherous roads.

New Years Eve. Freezing rain warnings have been issued for
parts of southern Quebec and much of Nova Scotia. Heavy snowfall --
around 15 centimeters -- is expected in northeastern New Brunswick.
Blizzard warnings, meantime, have been issued for parts of northern
Quebec, while parts of northern Ontario are receiving heavy snowfall.

Dec 2002. Argentina has been having "an extremely cold summer,
with snowstorms in late spring (never heard of!)," says Eduardo
Ferreyra, President of the Argentine Foundation for a Scientific
Ecology. Snow has fallen in Buenos Aires Province, says Ferreyra, and
at sea level in the city of Tandil.

Dec 23, 2002. The Chinese capital Beijing is experiencing its
longest period of snow in half a century. This is the first time in 53
years that Beijing has experience five consecutive days of snow.
Traffic has been slow, with officials complaining there are not enough
snow plows. Soldiers have been helping to clear the snow in Tiananmen Square.

Dec 21, 2002. A slow-moving storm has dumped up to 40 centimeters
(16 inches of snow) on southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern
Manitoba since Wednesday, with another 4 to 6 inches expected today.

Dec 9, 2002. Snow havoc in Tokyo. December snow has fallen on Tokyo
for the first time in more than a decade. Although it was less than an
inch deep, 208 people were injure in accidents due to the snow.

Dec 3, 2002. Norwegians shivered through the coldest November in
22 years. The coldest day of all was November 29, when the
thermometer sank to minus 37.5C at Cuovddatmohkki in Finnmark.

Nov 29, 2002. North Bay, Ontario sets new record snowfall for
November 29. Between 1 a.m. and 10 a.m. today, the city received 8
centimeters of snow, breaking the 52-year-old record of 7.9.

Nov 27, 2002. Cold grips southern Ontario. Daytime highs of only -4
degrees to -2 degrees are expected tomorrow in Windsor, Sarnia,
London, Simcoe, Hamilton, Kitchener and Niagara Falls, while
Orangeville and Wiaton will be even colder with highs of -7 and -5
expected respectively. Normal daytime temperatures for southern
Ontario this time of year are in the 'plus' 5 or 6-eegree range.

Nov 16, 2002. Two days of record rains hammer parts of Nova Scotia,
then move north to Prince Edward Island. The first day of the storm
brought enough rain to shatter several records. With 62 millimeters
(2.49 inches) of
rain, Greenwood nearly doubled its previous rainfall record for
November 13. By the time the storm ended, 120 mm (4.72") of rain had fallen in
Halifax, while Greenwood and Truro, Nova Scotia picked up more than 80
mm (3.15") of rain.

The rain is now drenching Newfoundland, where close to 35 mm of rain
fell in Gander, breaking the previous rainfall record for November 14
that had stood for 50 plus years.

Nov 8, 2002. A sharp cold front that passed through the Canadian
Maritimes yesterday, led to at least one new low temperature in New
Brunswick. Dropping to minus 11.5, Saint John shattered its previous
record for Nov 7, which had stood since 1873. Fredericton tied its
existing record from 1921 with a reading of minus 10.6. At the same
time, a severe snowstorm struck Halifax and many other parts of
mainland Nova Scotia.

Nov 7, 2002. Strong storms pounded Athens, Greece early this
morning. Heavy rains, snowfall and hail fell around 5 a.m., shattering
windows and denting vehicles and homes Athens. The hailstones were the
size of small oranges.

Nov 6, 2002. Just last Sunday, Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula saw
record snowfall for Oct 27. Now, more snow is forecast to dump on the
province starting tonight.

Oct 31, 2002. Dropping to minus
3.1 degrees, Victoria, B.C. had its coldest Halloween night ever. At
minus 4.5. Nanaimo also saw record cold. Interior B.C. was even
colder, with Sparwood and Cranbrook dipping into the minus 16 range.
Southern Alberta and Saskatchewan continued to be 10 to 15 degrees
colder than normal. Meanwhile, Manitoba had the coldest October on
record. The coldest previous October on record was in 1887, when the
average daytime high was 0.4.

Oct 30, 2002. A total of 17 new record low temperatures were set
today in British Columbia. Victoria dropped to minus 2.3 degrees.
Cranbrook dropped to minus 17. Golden beat its old record low set in
1935, while Osoyoos, normally one of Canada's "hot spots,"
dropped to a new record low of minus 8.6. Lethbridge reached a high of
minus 7, a full 18 degrees colder than normal for late October.

Oct 29, 2002. Southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba can expect another
day of bone-numbing temperatures. Lethbridge and Medicine Hat are
forecast to be as much as 20 degrees below normal, reaching a high
today of just minus 10.

Recent snow and chilly temperatures have halted harvest progress in
many areas of Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Agriculture estimates that 14
percent - more than 2 million hectares - of the 2002 crop remains
to be harvested. The 5-year average for unharvested crops for this
time of year is 2 percent.

Oct 20, 2002. Temperatures plummet to record lows in Saskatchewan
and Manitoba for Oct 20. Dipping to minus 12.8 degrees, Winnipeg edged
out its previous record low of 11.1, which had stood for 113 years.
Even colder was Pilot Mound, which beat its old record low by 6
degrees with a temperature of minus 13.7. Yorkton, Saskatchewan
dropped to minus 17.6 degrees, 4 degrees below its previous record
low, Wynyard dropped to minus 14.6 degrees, while Meadow Lake dipped
to minus 12.6.

Oct 16, 2002. Key Lake, Saskatchewan dropped to a low of minus 25
C, shattering its previous record low for the date by more than 13
degrees. Winnipeg, Manitoba shattered its old mark from 1952 with a
low of minus 12.4 degrees. Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan and Gretna,
Manitoba also set new record lows. For the third straight day, snow,
freezing rain and temperatures well below seasonal sent a chill
through places like Fort Chipewyan, Fort McMurray, Buffalo Narrows, La
Loche, Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert.

Oct 10, 2002. Dease Lake, Alberta dipped to minus 9.2, setting a
new record for October 10, while Stewart and Revelstoke also set new
records with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark.

Earliest autumn snowfall in Munich
since 1442! Sep 27, 2002. Winter came early to the Alps on Tuesday, when a
bitterly cold storm dumped two feet of snow on Austria's Sonnblick
mountains. Snowlines fell to 600 meters elevation in the
Bregenzerwald, Austria region, six weeks
earlier than last year.

The storm also left Munich under snow. It was the
earliest autumn snowfall in Munich since 1442, during the time that
Henry VI ruled England and parts of France.

That period in the early 1400s marked the beginning
of a spectacularly cold epoch called the Little Ice Age, which lasted
on and off for several hundred years. In Europe, glaciers grew
larger, trees retreated from the Arctic regions, and the world saw
frequent famines as crops died in the cold, wet weather.

Austria's worst flooding in centuries leaves a deadly legacy.
Sep 21, 2002. At least two people have died after picking and eating
poisonous mushrooms, and scores have sought treatment. Heavy rains
last month left fields and forests sodden, creating perfect
mushroom-growing conditions. Some 200 varieties of mushrooms that
thrive in Austria are strongly poisonous, and ten are deadly.

Calgary, Alberta receives dusting of snow. Sep 20, 2002. Wet snow
began falling Thursday evening as a cold front moved through.
Temperatures dropped as much as 20 degrees F (11 degrees C) in just
one hour. Today's forecast high of 13 Celsius is more than 3.5
degrees C below normal for this time of year.

Flooding hits Italy's Tuscany region. Sep 6, 2002. Just weeks after
Central Europe was hit with its worst flooding in more than a century,
torrential rains flood streets on Italy's Elba Island. And the Czech
Republic continues to be inundated with rain in some areas.

A strong thunderstorm dumps 4.17" (106cm) of rain on Edson,
Alberta. Aug 30, 2002. If that rain had fallen as snow, Edson would
have received almost 42 inches of snow ... in one day.

The pictures, which compared the size of a glacier on Svalbard in 1918
with its size in 2002, included the warning that global warming caused
by man-made greenhouse gases was causing Arctic glaciers to melt.

But those assertions are misleading at best, says Professor Ole Humlum,
a leading Norwegian glaciologist. "That glacier had already
disappeared in the early 1920s," says Humlum. "[It
disappeared] as a result of a perfectly natural rise in temperature
that had nothing to do with man-made global warming." See http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/08/17/wglac17.xml

Killer floods in Asia.
August 20, 2002. The flooding that has claimed an estimated 1,800
lives across Asia during the past two months is worsening, say
forecasters. Heavy rains in China from tropical storm Vongfong have
pushed the mammoth Dongting lake over the flood warning line,
threatening 10 million people and vast stretches of farmland. Almost
two million acres of fertile farmland are at risk in China, Nepal,
Thailand, Russia, India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. In Vietnam, tens of
thousands of homes have been inundated.

Killer floods in Europe.
August 16, 2002. More than 100 people die due to drownings, accidents,
and botched rescue attempts as record floods - the worst in more than
500 years - sweep across Central Europe. With flood waters standing at
records heights of more than 31 feet in some areas, hundreds of thousands of Czech,
Hungarian,
Austrian, Romanian, Russian, and German residents have been forced to leave their homes.
Boats that had torn loose from their moorings had to be blown us so
they would sink before being carried downstream where they would
have wiped out multimillion-dollar bridges.

In Germany alone, more than 20,000 homes have been
destroyed and many more damaged. Most of the country's grain and
potato crops have been ruined, with crop losses estimated at more than
1.5 billion dollars. Total losses (again, in Germany alone) are
estimated at 14.5 billion dollars. (I've been saying all along that we
will be fighting in the streets for food long before we're covered by
ice.)

New El Nino blamed for weather chaos. Aug 11, 2002.
More than 140 people have died in storms across Europe and Asia in
the past few days. Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, Italy,
Spain, the UK., and the Czech Republic, all have been hammered by
torrential rains and flooding. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/2186275.stm

Records were also broken in several British Columbia
cities. Twelve BC 12 weather stations set new records for below normal
afternoon high temperatures.

Killer cold and snow in South Africa. July 22, 2002. Some areas in eastern South
Africa were declared disaster zones after heavy rains and snows
destroyed homes, trapped commuters, and killed at least 22
people.

More than 3,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in
the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces, the hardest hit regions.
The snow was more than three-feet deep in some areas.

On the eastern coast, livestock have frozen to death
and two ships ran aground in heavy storms.

Killer hail in China. July
20, 2002. "A downpour of giant hailstones, some the size of eggs,
killed 22 people and left hospitals overflowing with head-wound
victims in central China."

With winds up to Force Eight, the hailstorm hammered
areas in northern Henan province, cutting off electricity, uprooting
trees, and destroying buildings.

"About 10 people were killed on the spot,"
said an official in the Zhenzhou city government. "Some more were
seriously wounded and may have died in hospital."

Killer cold and snow in Peru.
July 17, 2002. Fifty-nine people, and more than 80,000 llamas, alpacas
and vicunas, have died in a freak cold snap in Peru. With their food
buried beneath a three-foot blanket of snow, millions more animals are
at risk of starvation and pneumonia.

The killer chill, which began at the start of July,
said Reuter's news service, "sent temperatures tumbling
to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, a rare phenomenon even at high
altitudes in the Southern Hemisphere winter."

"Weather experts say the unusual cold is a
clear indication of an impending El Nino."

(For those who have read my book and heard my
radio interviews, you know that this is exactly what I've been saying.
I think this El Nino-and the one that follows it-could be the trigger
that sends us into the next ice age.)

"This is just such a huge snowfall that we don't normally
get at all here," said Pauline Beattie, of Patearoa Station,
which has been the base of operations in the
affected Paerau Valley on South Island. "We've got 10m [33
feet] drifts in country that normally these sheep would spend all
winter in and be quite happy to look after themselves."

Mrs. Beattie said 2500-3000 sheep were affected on her farm.
About 1000 would be fed today and about 700 were fed yesterday.
About 500 were missing.

Mrs. Beattie could not estimate the cost, but said bulldozers
had been hired to do clearing and helicopters had been hired to
move feed earlier in the week at $1000 an hour ... in an area that
normally does not require feeding.

The New Zealand air force also sent four Iroquois helicopters
to the area to help distribute feed. About four days' feed was
being delivered by the Iroquois today.

Farmers are still concerned about their animals in the higher
country, which they have not been able to get to because of the
bad weather. Even though stock can survive in snow for several
weeks, the farmers are worried they may become trapped in snow
drifts. "Farmers were hoping," said the Herald,
"that no more snow would fall."

Snowfall has increased in Siberia.
Swiss, Russian and Arizona dendroclimatologists
-- tree ring scientists who study climate -- say
there has been a slow, gradual increase in the
amount of snow in northern Siberia during the
past century. (Nature, July 8, 2002)

As a result, significant numbers of trees at
timberline across the
subarctic from Alaska and Canada to Scandinavia
and Siberia have not grown as much as expected.
The greater snowfall is keeping the ground frozen
longer, stunting growth by as much as 20 percent.

May 3, 2002 - Torrential rains
pounded Switzerland and northern Italy on Friday,
prompting an avalanche warning in the Alps.
Southern Switzerland got nearly 15 inches of rain
during a 24-hour period, more for this time of
year than at any other time on record.

The Gotthard Tunnel in central Switzerland - a
major transit route between northern and southern
Europe - was shut after four lanes of highway A2
were covered by a mudslide. At the same time,
officials were forced to postpone the opening of
Gotthard pass - a key alternative to the tunnel -
after more than three feet of snow fell in the
area. Several major rail links near the border
with Italy were also closed.

Mar 29, 2002 - The coolest summer
on record in Australia has devastated grape yields.

"Hemmed in by sea ice, hundreds of thousands
of baby penguins died this Antarctic summer.

"The world's southernmost colony of Adelie
penguins, at Cape Royds on Ross Island, only
managed to produce about one percent of its usual
tally of chicks.

"The breeding penguins had to walk up to 50
kilometers (30 miles) over sea ice to get food.
Many of the parents either abandoned their eggs
in order to feed themselves or did not come back
with enough food to keep their chicks alive.

"Some of the adults were just snowed
in. They had this metre, metre-and-a-half of ice,
that just crusted over them so they died like
that." ((BBC News, 12 March, 2002)

Snow threatens
Siberia's big cats. 18 Feb 2002. Heavy snowfalls in the
Primorski region could all but wipe out the deer and boar, that
the Amur tiger and Far Eastern leopard feed on. With snow in the
region measuring up to 1.5 meters deep, some 100,000 animals have
been left without food. Experts predict that between 80% and 90%
of the big cat's prey could die. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1827088.stm

Bologna, Italy has had 48
straight days with low temperatures under 32F, an
all-time record. The previous record was only 30
days set back in 1963. (23 Jan 2002)

New measurements in West
Antarctica show that the ice is thickening,
reversing earlier estimates that the sheet was
melting. Measurements of the Ross ice streams
show that movement of some of the ice steams has
slowed or halted, allowing the ice to thicken. (Science,
18 Jan 2002) See article: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGALMWCWLWC.html

The Antarctic has cooled during
the past 35 years, says Dr Peter Doran of the
University of Illinois. Seasonally averaged
surface air temperatures decreased by about 0.7C
per decade, says Doran, who did his research at
the American National Science Foundation's
long-term ecological research site in
Antarctica's Dry Valleys on MacMurdo Sound.
Long-term data from weather stations across the
continent shows a cooling trend. (Nature, 15
Jan 2002)

Russia is enduring the worst winter in three
decades
(Jan 2002). Winter in Siberia is usually spectacular
and always very cold. But this winter has been relentless. Week
after week, temperatures have dipped to 50 below zero. In Irkutsk,
the cold killed 17 people in just one week, and doctors amputated
the limbs of at least 70 others who suffered severe frostbite.http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/WorldNewsTonight/wnt010122_siberiacold_feature.html

El Nino may be returning, says
the federal Climate Prediction Center, a part of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). Waters in the tropical
Pacific Ocean are warming, which means that El
Nino could occur by early spring, the agency
said. As a result, the U.S. Pacific northwest
could experience wetter than normal conditions
(and if it's cold at the time, could lead to
record snowstorms ... again).

"Jerusalem
blanketed by rare snowstorm" Laurie Copans,
Associated Press, 7 Jan 2002. "A rare snowstorm swept over many
parts of the Middle East on Monday, blanketing
the domes and steeples of Jerusalem's Old City.
In Bethlehem, worshippers traveled through thick
snowflakes to services at stone churches."

In Damascus, the normally sunny
capital of Syria, residents awoke to a four-inch
blanket of snow. The town of Qunitra in southern
Syria received 26 inches of snow, and villages
above Syria's Mediterranean Sea port of Latakia
were cut off by heavy snowfalls.

"In neighboring Lebanon, a
snowstorm that began Sunday left dozens of
villages throughout the country."

"Snow also fell in
northern Jordan and across the southern mountains
as temperatures dipped several degrees below
freezing."

Hundreds of towns in central Greece cut off
by snow (5 Jan 2002). Key roads were blocked around
Athens for the second day in a row after more
than three feet of snow fell on the outskirts of
the Greek capital.
Hundreds of travelers were trapped in their
vehicles for about 20 hours. Athens'
international airport was also closed as snow
plows worked to clear runways.

Greek Prime Minister Costas
Simitis described the severe snow storms as the
worst in 40 years to hit his country. The
snowfall and subfreezing temperatures were part
of a rare winter storm affecting many parts of
the southern Balkans.

In Turkey, four people froze to death as the
worst snowfall in years paralyzed the country for
a second consecutive day. Thousands more were
isolated.

In northern Bulgaria, roads were blocked in three villages by
the worst snowfalls in several decades. Many towns were left without
electricity. Both Greece and Bulgaria declared
states of emergency.

In Moscow, ten people were reported frozen to
death on Thursday alone. More than 250 lives have been claimed
this winter.

A winter cold snap in Poland has
claimed 178 lives since October.

In Germany and Bavaria, which
usually boast fairly modest temperatures,
thermometers have plunged to minus 51 degrees
Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius) this winter, the
lowest recorded since 1870, more than 130 years
ago.

Here's another: This web site gives data from
some 200 weather stations
around the globe. Temperatures at some stations have risen slightly,
temperatures at 40 stations have remained essentially the same, and temperatures at more than 100 stations have declined!http://www.john-daly.com/stations/stations.htm#Greenland/

31 Dec 2001: Antarctica's
Ross Island is so choked with ice that penguins
can't get to their egg-laying grounds. This could
be a disaster for penguins.

During
Christmas week (2001), Buffalo, NY received more
than seven (7) feet of snow. A record for
Buffalo, the storm forced the closure of every
road in the city along with 75 miles of the New
York State Throughway. Police declared a state of
emergency as residents shoveled snow from porches
and roofs to keep them from collapsing beneath
the weight.

Up to 100,000 people were forced to
spend the night in their cars in Germany
yesterday when heavy snowfall triggered an
unprecedented 90-mile traffic jam. Bitter winter
weather blanketed many other parts of Europe. 28 Dec 2001

Gothenburg, Sweden endured the
coldest night since recording started, says
Professor Wibjorn Karlen of the University of
Stockholm. In fact, several cold records have
been broken in Sweden during the past month. 28 Dec 2001

France experiences the lowest
temperatures in almost 40 years. 20 Nov 2001.

Thousands of
people were trapped in a national park after Saudi Arabia received an
unprecedented several inches of snow. 23 Jul 2001.

The wettest
year in England on record. The
skies over England and Wales poured down more rain in the past 12
months (51 inches) than in any year on record, the government
meteorological office said. This was the most since meteorologists
began keeping rack back in 1766. The previous record of 50 inches
was set in 1872.

In
the year 2000, Bismarck, ND experienced the
wettest February on record. In June 2000, some
parts of Grand Forks County reported 20 inches of
rain in two days. Just imagine if it had been
cold at the time. Add a zero, and that would have
been 200 inches of snow ... in two days. That's
how ice ages begin.

Fargo
received seven inches of rain in six hours. Add a
zero, and that would have been 70 inches of snow
... six feet ... in six hours. That's how ice
ages begin.

Southern
Brazil sees snowfall. The first significant snowfall in 16
years blanketet streets and rooftops in parts of southern Brazil
this week. Temperatures fell by more than 60 degrees Fahrenheit in
the semitropical cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in just
one week. Discovery Earth Alert.

Summer
snowstorms in France. June 11, 2000. Six people had to be
rescued by helicopter from the Pyrenees mountains on Sunday after
16 inches of snow fell in southeastern France. In northeastern
France, dozens of villages were affected by heavy hail and
snowstorms. Associated Press.

On Apr 26, 2000,
with the tulips up and the forsythia dropping its yellow flowers
for green leaves, residents of Boston, Massachusetts
reported that it was snowing "at a pretty good clip."

Antarctic
chill invades Australia. May 31, 2000 At least two people in
eastern Australia were killed during the weekend in accidents
triggered by one of the worst cold spells in living memory,
according to Discovery Earth Alert. The cold front extended
across Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. Victoria's Falls
Creek received 12-18 inches of snow, the biggest snowfall at this
time of year since 1968.

As
of Feb. 4, 2000, Alaska's Kenai Peninsula was
buried beneath four times the normal amount of
snow (six feet), while the worst avalanches in
more than 100 years closed the highway between
Anchorage and Kenai several times. Alaska's moose
were starving to death because they couldn't
reach their food.

On
Jan 29, a rare snowstorm swept through the Middle
East, dumping as much as three feet of snow in
parts of Israel and Jordan. Jerusalem was covered
by at least 15 inches of snow, and one house
collapsed from the load. With the Negev Desert
seeing the first snowfall in half a century,
Bedouin awoke to find a thick white layer on the
backs of their camels, sheep and goats.

On
Jan 26 a paralyzing snowstorm with snow drifts up
to 12 feet deep isolated 23 villages in Romania,
where 14 people died. Snow even fell on the
southern Croatian islands, including Brac, which
is extremely rare.

On
Jan 26, a powerful storm moved into the
Northeast, leaving up to 20 inches of snow in
Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and much of New
England. A separate storm dropped 12 inches of
snow on Indiana. "We're really cursing those
computer models," said Andrew Woodcock, a
meteorologist with the National Weather Service
in Sterling, VA.

On
Jan 24/25 a killer snowstorm hammered the entire
East Coast, bringing Washington D.C. to a
standstill, and dumping 24" of snow on
Raleigh, NC., breaking the previous record set in 1902. It dropped up to 17 inches of snow on
Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and
Georgia, putting kinks in Super bowl travel plans.
In North Carolina, the governor called out the
National Guard to rescue hundreds of stranded
motorists.

On
Jan 24/25 a separate storm charged in from the
West, dropping up to seven feet of snow in the
Sierra Nevada's, and up to a foot of snow on the
Central Rockies and parts of Oklahoma.

On
January 16, 2000, the heaviest snowfall in 30
years swept into Kashmir.

Key fishery for Alaska and
Seattle closed because of "unusual ice
buildup in the Bering Sea." The snow-crab
season, scheduled to open on Jan 15, was delayed
until at least April 1. (Seattle Times,
12 Jan 2000)

On
Jan 12, radio station KNWX in Seattle announced
that Mt. Baker was on track for another record
snowfall. Last year, Mt. Baker received 103 feet
of snow (deeper than the trees), breaking all
previous world records for the snowfall
in one season.

On
January 7, 2000, the heaviest snowfalls since
1956 crushed greenhouses full of vegetables in
Shenyang, capital city of Liaoning Province,
China.

In
December 1999 the coldest weather in 30 years
damaged 163,000 acres of crops in China's
Guandong Province. Bananas were especially hard
hit.

In
February 1999, so much snow had fallen on Mount
Baker in Washington's Cascade Mountains (200% of
normal) that they had to shut down the ski area
in order to bulldoze snow away from under the
chairlifts.

In
February 1999, heavy snow and high winds pummeled
Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and other parts of
central Europe, isolating several hundred
villages. In the US, more than eight feet of snow
fell on the Sierra Nevada Mountains in four days.

In
January 1999, Toronto was smothered by the worst
snowstorm in its recorded history.

In
January 1999, Chicago was smothered by the second
worst snowstorm in its recorded history.

In
January 1999, Finland, Sweden, and Norway
suffered the worst cold wave of the century, with
temperatures plunging to minus 60ºF. It was so
cold that mercury thermometers froze.
Alcohol-based thermometers were the only ones to
function properly.

In
January 1999, many parts of the United States saw
record low temperatures, including South
Carolina, North Carolina, Illinois, Mississippi,
Louisiana, Alaska, and Maine. Temperatures in
Allagash, Maine, fell to minus 55ºF, the lowest
ever recorded in the state. Parts of Alaska
endured the longest cold spell in recorded
history.

In
January 1999, 163 tornadoes hammered the United
States, more than three times the previous
January record.

During
the winter of 1998/99, Quebec endured the biggest
ice storm in its history, sustaining $7 billion
(Canadian) in damage.

In
1998, Moscow shivered through the coldest
December since 1882.

During
the winter of 1998/99, Guadalajara saw its first
snowstorm (16 inches) since 1880.

During
the winter of 1998/99 it snowed in Mexico City.

During
the winter of 1998/99, it snowed in Louisiana,
Alabama, and Mississippi.

In
1997, Spokane suffered the snowiest December on
record.

During
the winter of 1997/98, all-time record low
temperatures were set in several parts of the
Upper Midwest, including Illinois, Iowa,
Minnesota, and Wisconsin. According to the
Midwestern Climate Center, "this appears to
be one of, if not the, coldest weather events of
the 20th Century." See http://mcc.sws.uiuc.edu/cold96/cold.html

The
winter of 1998/99 was the rainiest winter on
record in Seattle.

Temperatures in the Arctic have
been going down since 1945. (Overpeck et al.,
Science, 14 Nov 97)

There
is no global warming.

Are
we being mislead? Look at this headline.

"Warmest Spring on Record
for U.S."

Thus
began a story by Associated Press writer Randolph Schmid
on June 16, 2000. "Mop
your brow and read all about it," the story
continued. According to the National Climatic Data
Center, "spring 2000 was the hottest on record for
the United States."

Sounds
like global warming. Especially if you read only the
first few paragraphs.

Read
further, and you'll find these words: "But
the same findings don't hold true for the rest of the
world, with colder than normal waters in the tropical
Pacific Ocean holding down readings so that the globally
averaged temperature was 0.07 degrees below normal for
spring."

Did you
catch that? Globally averaged temperature was belownormal! Temperatures
are
falling, not rising!

It's actually getting colder

Average
annual temperatures have declined more than 10ºF
during the past 40 years in many states,
including Mississippi, Texas, Ohio, Alabama,
Missouri, Louisiana, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Texas, Indiana, Florida, Arkansas,
Georgia, and Kentucky. See Plant Hardiness Zone Maps.

In
Minneapolis, average July temperatures (which are
critical for plant growth) have fallen 6ºF since
mid-century.

In
Kalispell, Montana, average July temperatures
have fallen 6ºF since mid-century.

In
Bismarck, ND, average July temperatures have
fallen 8.89ºF since mid-century.

In
Spokane, WA, average July temperatures have
fallen 5.5ºF since mid-century. Average January
temperatures declined an incredible 16ºF.

In
Umea, Sweden, average July temperatures have
fallen 3.24ºF since mid-century.

In
Asheville, NC (home of the National Climatic Data
Center), average annual temperatures have
declined 1.1ºF since 1946.

This
may not sound like a very big deal. But look at
Washington state. Although Seattle was buried
beneath 4,000 feet of ice during the last ice
age, temperatures in southern Washington were
only 4º - 5ºF colder than today. A 10ºF
decline is huge. A 10ºF decline is the
difference between an ice age and not an ice age.

July figures, which were
calculated using a six-year running average, are
courtesy of research geologist Jack Sauers.